I always search for alternative sellers. They are more likely to have someone who knows the product. A plumbing supplier will know something about pipes and I have some reason to trust them when they give advantages to their different price levels. I don't need 200 different brands of 1/2 inch pipe connections, I need the 3 different levels of pressure they are rated for, and the choice of material they are made from. They also tend to provide reasonable sorting so that I can find what I need without scrolling for ages.
Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
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Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#12Well then give us a list! Nearly everything else I've checked is either out of stock or doesn't deliver to my house.
Maybe not the type of items you are shopping for, but I just ordered a sink and faucet from build.com and got free 2-day delivery.
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#13I have started to fall back to a shopping site run by our postal service [1] which has been trying for several months through TV ads to get people to use the more regional shopping site rather than Amazon. I guess they could not have hoped for a better scenario than a countrywide lockdown paired with shipping delays at Amazon
[1] shoepping.at
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#14Well then give us a list! Nearly everything else I've checked is either out of stock or doesn't deliver to my house.
Most chain stores and even some local stores have online storefront and still ship items. It's a good time to support them. You don't want to live in the world where Amazon is the only game left in town.
Also, Ebay.
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#15The estimates on Amazon right now seem way longer than the reality. I'm getting all my packages in 2-3 days despite Amazon estimating a week or more.
Same for me. 3 items earlier estimated for Apr 27 are already sitting in a box in my living room.
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#16The HN is a very intelligent community, so I'd like to hear your thoughts out loud here. Do you guys think supply chains will move closer to home because of this pandemic? I'm hearing every narrative under the sun right now: "This will establish globalism even more", "No! This marks the abrupt END of globalism." What are your thoughts?
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#17Amazon shipping hack - order what you want to order, wait 48 hours to see if it ships, and if it doesn't cancel and order elsewhere.
This assumes you value ordering through Amazon (I do b/c prime shipping, easy return policy, and I have a large gift card balance)
One thing I've noticed is that amazon may list a delivery date far out in the future, but it's possible you still get the product quickly, depending on what I can only assume are local warehouse logistic issues.
Over the past two weeks I've ordered packing/shipping supplies, a high chair, some electronics, and a board game which all had expected delivery dates of +1 month, and they all arrived in 2 days.
YMMV.
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#18Yeah I’ve ordered a few things now directly from the manufacturer.
The problem is in a lot of cases I’ll see stuff that’s slightly cheaper on their site but then shipping is ridiculous.
I ordered a mono price stand up desk recently. The price on Amazon was $10 more, but Monoprice wanted $45 for domestic shipping! So I waited three extra days and saved $35.
It’s kind of a toss up now between speed and price depending on the item. I mean, it always was, but when prime is functioning normally, the speed is almost always worth the price (to me).
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#19I’ve observed this with big and small business alike: + bought a baking steel direct from the seller (shipping time ~5 days vs. 1 month+, so I canceled the amazon order) + monitor out of stock for over a week on amazon (in stock at bnh, shipping time ~4 days) + monitor arm I didn’t even bother looking at on amazon (shipping time direct from seller ~2 days)
I never heard of "baking steel". Looking online, it seems to be like a pizza stone? If yes, that's cool!
Re: Amazon Isn’t the Only Shop Online
#20The HN is a very intelligent community, so I'd like to hear your thoughts out loud here. Do you guys think supply chains will move closer to home because of this pandemic? I'm hearing every narrative under the sun right now: "This will establish globalism even more", "No! This marks the abrupt END of globalism." What are your thoughts?
Certain products will be made and/or stock-piled closer to home. The effect this has on globalism overall depends on how various factions battle over narratives.